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=**Welcome to the DJ-English Space**=

“I look upon travel as a means of spiritual testing. What gives value to travel is fear. It is the fact that, at a certain moment, we are so far from our country…we are seized by an instinctive desire to go back to the protection of old habits. This is the most obvious benefit of travel. At that moment, we are feverish, but also porous, so that the slightest touch makes us quiver to the depths of our being. By exercising our most intimate senses, we understand a culture. It is through travel that we learn about ourselves.” -Albert Camus (1913 - 1960)

Over the course of the next two years, we are going to be "traveling" through many books by authors from different time periods and cultural heritages, learning from them and hopefully learning more about ourselves as well. Hopefully there is enough variety in this selection to allow all of you to find works that you will enjoy and treasure for a lifetime.

The realm of the last inch -- some advice from Solzhenitsyn (particularly appropriate for second-year IB students!)
Now listen to the rule of the last inch. The realm of the last inch. The job is almost finished, the goal almost attained, everything possible seems to have been achieved, every difficulty overcome - and yet the quality is just not there. The work needs more finish, perhaps further research. In that moment of weariness and self-satisfaction, the temptation is greatest to give up, not to strive for the peak of quality. That's the realm of the last inch - here the work is very, very complex but it's also particularly valuable because it's done with the most perfect means. The rule of the last inch is simply this - not to leave it undone. And not to put it off - because otherwise your mind loses touch with that realm. And not to mind how much time you spend on it, because the aim is not to finish the job quickly, but to reach perfection. Solzhenitsyn, //The First Circle//